Sixty Fiver

Forgive me for I have sinned... when I re-geared my Twenty this weekend opted for those awful derailleur gears and a 5 speed but did at least use some vintage Suntour bits.

But I did rebuild a lot of old three speeds at the 24 hour repair marathon and at leat six more people are out there enjoying the joy of riding a well made Raleigh.

One lady had not ridden a bike for 8 years because of an accident and we built up a Sports three speed for her and fiine tuned things for her specific riding needs... the smile on her face was all the thanks we needed.

Fir

Spektakularr :-) Nice saddle and bag. And pump. Did you do much rust removal on the chrome and such?

Fir

[B]Sixty Fiver,

Methinks you are at least plus five on the Nottingham Kharma scale for the weekend and more than that on the General Kharma scale. Or is "Kharma Scale" an oxxymorron?

gna

The pump I got for a dollar where I volunteer, MMRB
The saddlebag is a NOS vinyl Japanese copy that I got off our local Craigslist--my wife didn't like it.

I polished the rims with chrome polish, and cleaned the other chrome bits, but I just wiped the frame down with gear oil. It has a bunch of scratches and chips, but hey, it's old.

Sixty Fiver

Probably... and I am having trouble feeling any guilt here... maybe I am a sociopath.



I am also a sadist so lets put some bad ideas in Tom's head...

Now that I have re-spaced the frame I could also look at installing an 8 speed IGH and am having the frame modified to add canti / v brake bosses in the rear. I am getting a new fork made that will have the same bosses and mounts for low rider racks.

And I might even rock ten speeds so then I can pull stumps or climb straight up walls.

Fir

Nothing wrong with a little patina :-) It's more authentic that way.

Is one chrome polish pretty much like another? I finally found some Oxalic Acid here, but I guess that's for use when you've got the part removed and a bath to fit it. Might not be so good on hubs with the bearings still in and such.

noglider 

You haven't put a rear brake back on the Twenty, have you?

I like the way it looks. I like Twentys and I like fixed gears, but that fixed gear Twenty was weird to me.

How much does it weigh now, without the accessories?

Fir

Do you torture small animals? That is one of the first signs. Putting bad ideas into guy's heads is the second. After that it is pulling stumps around the neighbourhood at dawn, especially ones still attached to their superstructure.

Must be closer to 30 lbs like that. Is it your only Twenty? Headbadge is a different sticker? Funny, no fork dimples... Which sort of days does it demand to be ridden on?

Sixty Fiver

Weight as a nekkid fixed gear was just under 25 pounds, the fenders and rack added a few more... bike probably weighs 27-28 pounds as a gearie but would have to strip it down to know for sure.

Have not added a rear brake yet (because I can't find one to fit) but that does not bother me much since I rarely use a rear brake anyways... the cantis I am planning on adding with be really nice.

noglider 

Yeah, I love cantilever brakes. I wish they were easier to retrofit.

I'm still not sure of what to do with my Twenty. It's still pretty much stock, and of course, the brakes are barely more than decorative.

Sixty Fiver

It is a Phillip's Twenty... it used to work for Shell Oil back in the 70's.

Have owned this bike for four years and ridden it in everything from sunshine to snow, on long rides and short rides, on smooth roads and some of the roughest roads imaginable and no matter what version (this is 4.0) it has been bombproof and uber reliable.

Think I will take it on the Tour du Alberta next month and knock down 100 so the the little guy can earn his century bike status.

Sixty Fiver

You need a new fork and a frame builder to add the rear bosses... I have mine on speed dial and he was quite enthused about doing the frame work and building a new fork.

Will be riding out to his shop some morning in July (a 45 mile ride) and will do the frame work and install the new fork, install the new brakes, and should be able to ride home the same day.

Will probably get the frame powder coated a nice shade of copper brown too.

desconhecido 

I thought it was one of those that came with the Raleigh Sports. The Sports that I recently fixed up (I won't bore you with the same old pictures) came with one and the vinyl is intact and not torn. The leather closing straps have mostly disappeared and the rivets and other small steel/iron parts are rusty. We have a very large piece of acrylic awning material and I'm trying to talk my wife into making a reproduction out of a piece of that. I think it would make a better bag than the original. Only problem is that it's white. We'll see what happens.

Oh, ++ on a nice looking bike for your sister. I enjoyed fixing up the Raleigh and have been keeping watch for more -- particularly a woman's model for my wife, but they're not that common here in Houston. I have an obsession about finding another cottered crank bike to use my new cotter press on. Anybody in Houston needs cotters removed, get in touch, bring it over, and we'll give the press a little exercise.

old's'cool

Sixty Fiver, I don't know if it is intentional (probably not), but that bike is perfect for riding to a Bombers home game and taking up with you to the stands to show the team colours!

Clarification: I'm perfectly aware the Bombers' hometown is Winnipeg..., not Edmonton; hence colour scheme probably not intentional on Sixty Fiver's part...

gna

The seller still has some left, just posted today: https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hn...792825518.html I like your idea; I'd like an old style bag but with easy open clips instead of straps.

How tall is your wife? Raleigh 3-speeds are pretty common around here...might be hard to get to Houston, but you never know....

desconhecido 

She's 5'5" to 5'6". Didn't you find a woman's Raleigh Sports recently that is 23"? That would probably be too large for her. Otherwise, I think any of the Raleighs would work. We're both from Wisconsin and I've seen a number of good looking bikes show up on ebay and various craigs lists up there that look interesting. Sort of a hot-bed. We'll be traveling up there. maybe later this summer, and if we haven't found anything by then, may look seriously while there.

rhm

Yesterday at the bike coop I worked on an old J C Higgins three speed. It's the Austrian made bike Sears sold, but this is a fairly early one, with J C HIGGINS chain ring, J C Higgins branded hub and shifter. Interesting looking round shifter, too. All made in Austria, and in fact many parts --front hub, pedals, etc-- are clearly branded Styria.

Anyway, it's a beautiful bike, and very well made. I noticed many details --the fender mounts, for example-- that really seemed better than what you get on an English bike. I wish I had taken the camera!

If anyone wants a three speed in the Trenton NJ area, be sure to visit the Bike Exchange. Plenty to chose from! I could even ship one, if required... but probably not cost-effective.

Sixty Fiver

I need a bike with the rouge, blanc and bleu to show my team colours...

Sixty Fiver

I have an Electra Amsterdam in the stand today and although it is a very nice bike with a Shimano three speed and a solidly made frame and fork it seems like the folks at Electra opted to make some of the parts out of cheese.

Will be replacing the fender stays with some proper solid ones in chrome and improving the rear fender mount by adding a rack hanger to keep it as stable as the ones on my bikes.

Plastic does not belong on a bike..

The lady who owns it finally gave up on trying to have the LBS try and service her bike as although they sell them they seem clueless when it comes to setting them up... my daughter could have spun off the wheel nuts and I added a vintage chain tug to make doubly sure that wheel does not shift out of place.

She said I was the only person who has ever fixed her bike and had it stay fixed...

gna

A local Craigslist seller had a 23"; I didn't buy it.
My wife is about 5'5", and she can ride either the 19" or the 21". My sister-in-law is about 5'4", and she likes the 19" Triumph, so I'd go with whatever your wife likes.

The one I got from Khatfull is 18" , so for a shorter person. I'm fixing up a 21" for my wife's friend who is 5'8".

I've seen a few of those on my local Craigslist, and I've been curious about them:
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hn...792902238.html
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ra...762215548.html

There was one for very cheap, but it was an hour away, so I hesitated, and now it's gone. I even asked on the forum about updates, but the response was negative, so I passed. Oh well.

hns55

Hi could any one tell me is this a Raleigh Lenton clubman? https://i.ebayimg.com/04/!BvBmn6wEGk~...Wil,g~~_12.JPG

clubman 

It's a lousy pic. If it's got a 3 pin crankset with little herons on it I'd say definitely yes. It should have unusual mudguard braze-ons about 6 inches up the fork and seat stays. Original wheels are 26 x 1 1/4

Here's a few pics to compare lug work

Sixty Fiver

Here is my 1955 Raleigh Lenton... as a fixed gear it was not fitted with a Heron chain wheel but rather, a plain 3 bolt track ring which was original equipment.



The bars look much like mine but that paint isn't original for a vintage Raleigh.

Better pics are needed.

rhm

Speaking of Lenton Clubmans, there's a rather nice one on ebay GB now... though shipping is a bit steep:

https://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-raleigh-...item20b17f057b

Brian C.

My Humber, original owner gave it to me. He wanted to send it to a good home. Originally thought I would completely disassemble and restore, but opted for the full original survivor look. Just replaced the messinger mattress saddle with a used brooks.